The use of inhalation devices in the administration of medicaments, for example in bronchodilation therapy is well known. Such devices generally comprise a body or housing within which a medicament carrier is located. Known inhalation devices include those in which the medicament carrier is a blister strip containing a number of discrete doses of powdered medicament. Such devices usually contain a mechanism of accessing these doses, usually comprising either piercing means or means to peel a lid sheet away from a base sheet. The powdered medicament can then be accessed and inhaled. Such a mechanism may also be used for dispensing medicament in tablet form wherein peeling away the lid sheet from the base sheet reveals a tablet for removal and subsequent consumption.
Therapies involving combinations of different and complementary active medicaments are known. These can be administered either as distinct combination (i.e. multi-active) medicament products, which comprise a defined mixture of each component medicament, or as groups of single active medicament products, which are designed to be taken in combination or sequentially. Whilst combination products offer added convenience for the patient, certain medicament actives are difficult to formulate as distinct combination products. For example, the actives may interact chemically with each other in an undesirable way when formulated together.
It is thus, desirable in certain circumstances, to have a medicament dispenser that separately (i.e. in isolated fashion) contains each active component (or mixture thereof) of a combination product, but which enables the delivery of a combined dose in response to a minimum number of patient actions. In particular, it is desirable that all active components of the combined dose are delivered to the patient in a single, combined dose in response to a single patient dosing action. For example, it is desirable that a combination inhaled medicament product be delivered in response to a single actuation of an inhaler, even where the active components of that combined product are separately stored within the inhaler device.
A particularly effective way to meet the above described desiderata is provided by a medicament dispenser which comprises plural, separate elongate form medicament carriers (e.g. strip or continuous loop form blister packs), each containing in isolated fashion, a different medicament active (or mixture thereof), wherein the dispenser enables release of the medicament actives from each separate blister pack to provide a combined dose for administration to a patient.
Such a medicament dispenser for use with plural elongate form medicament carriers, each having multiple distinct medicament dose portions carried thereby, typically comprises a dispensing mechanism for sequentially dispensing the distinct medicament dose portions carried by each of said plural medicament carriers. The dispensing mechanism suitably comprises a receiving station for receiving each of the plural medicament carriers; a release for releasing a distinct medicament dose portion from each of the plural medicament carriers on receipt thereof by said receiving station; an outlet, positioned to be in communication with the distinct medicament dose portions releasable by said release; and an indexer for individually indexing the distinct medicament dose portions of each of the plural medicament carriers. A medicament dispenser of this type has been described in Applicant's previous PCT application no. WO 03/061743.
The Applicant has now found that in providing a medicament dispenser of this type a number of practical problems and design challenges are encountered.
One problem is that of providing a dispenser device that is able to accommodate the plural medicament carriers, but is of sufficiently small overall size that it is conveniently portable (e.g. in the pocket or bag of a patient) and amenable to discrete use, by the patient. Herein, the Applicant describes a number of ways to ameliorate the problem of ‘saving space’ within the dispenser including the use of medicament carriers in continuous loop form housed within a non-circular form housing.
Another problem is that of providing a dispenser device, in which the distinct medicament dose portions of each of the plural medicament carriers may be indexed or accessed without the need for the user to apply undue indexing or accessing force. Particular challenges are faced when the plural medicament carriers are required to be moved through the dispenser device for indexing/accessing thereof, and where the indexing/accessing action is coupled (e.g. moving peelable blister strips through the dispenser device to both index a particular blister on each strip and peelably access that blister). The Applicant herein describes a number of ways to ameliorate the problem of ‘reducing user force’ required for actuation.
Another problem is that of providing a dispenser device that is able to accommodate the plural medicament carriers and enable efficient indexing/accessing, but which may be configured in an overall form that is ergonomically suitable for patient usage.
Another problem is that of providing a dispenser device that is readily actuable by a conveniently located actuation lever.
Various additional and subsidiary problems are also described herein, and means for addressing them also described.